Ice dispenser bins are used in many situations, wherein ice is periodically made or generated and delivered or dropped into a storage bin, where it resides until the need arises to use the ice. In order to keep the ice pieces or particles from all adhering together into one large structure, it is known to agitate the ice. Generally, the ice pieces are dispensed from a lower location in the bin, to an upper location, to be discharged to bags, a cart, or other suitable container.
Because ice is delivered from an upper location to a lower location, to be later moved from a lower location to an upper location, it is known that there sometimes forms a bridge of ice pieces, inhibiting the delivery of ice from the upper location to the lower location.
It has become commonplace to periodically break up the bridge by reaching into the bin, manually, with a paddle, to strike the ice bridge and release the pieces or articles, to fall to the bottom of the bin.
In some cases, there is provided a drive for lifting ice from the bottom of the bin to the discharge, and when ice is thus being discharged, ice in the bin is simultaneously agitated to break up any bridge then forming, and to loosen ice particles so that they can fall to the bottom of the bin.
One disadvantage of such prior art type of devices is that they lack durability and require manual bridge-breaking intervention in order to keep the ice loose so the ice will properly dispense. Such manual agitation can create adverse sanitation problems.
Additionally, prior art ice dispensing equipment is often lacking in versatility.
Some users of ice dispensing equipment, such as supermarkets, purveyors of meat and fish and vegetables, desire the ability to fill large containers, rather than simply to fill bags of ice. For example, the ability to optionally fill carts as well as bags is a feature that has been missing from the art.
The present invention is directed to providing an ice storage bin having a dispenser for dispensing ice therefrom and an agitator for engaging ice pieces and agitating them, wherein there are provided driving means for driving the ice dispenser and for driving the ice agitator, such that they can be driven separately from each other.
Additionally, there is an upper bin section that has tapered walls to prevent bridging of ice therein, which facilitates the gravity dropping of ice from the upper bin to the lower bin. The lower bin section is separate from its structural support or frame, the latter carrying the drive loads, which frees the lower bin from carrying the drive loads.
Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to separately drive an ice dispenser and an agitator for ice in a storage bin.
It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above object, wherein ice is delivered from a lower location within the bin to an upper location for discharge of ice.
It is yet another object of this invention to accomplish the object immediately above, wherein different types of containers, such as bags, carts, etc. can be used to receive ice discharged from an upper end of the bin.
It is a further object of this invention to accomplish the above objects, wherein the agitator comprises right and left, preferably somewhat helically configured and oppositely directed agitators carried on the same rotating agitator bar, whereby thrust loads in each direction from the right and left agitators tend to offset each other.
It is another object of this invention to provide an upper bin section that has tapered walls, to prevent bridging of ice therein.
It is yet another object of this invention to have a lower bin section that is separate from the lower structural frame, such that the structural frame carries the drive loads; not the lower bin section.
Other objects and advantages of the present invention will be readily understood upon reading the following brief descriptions of the drawing figures, detailed descriptions of the preferred embodiments, and the appended claims.